


Lingering Looks and Countertops

by glitterfics



Category: Dark Angel
Genre: First Kiss, Humor, M/M, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-23
Updated: 2011-05-23
Packaged: 2017-10-19 17:32:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/203368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitterfics/pseuds/glitterfics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things take an unexpected turn when Logan is asked to pass a message along to Alec.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lingering Looks and Countertops

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Raising Hellions Feb '09 prompt: "That better not be my towel"
> 
> Thanks to lazydaisyjax and vaguelyaloof for the beta and shay for her advice and help.
> 
> I don't own anything to do with Dark Angel; I don't even own my flat :P

Logan frowned as he arrived outside the door, feeling like a glorified errand boy. He was _Eyes Only_ ; he had better things to be doing with his time than passing along messages – things like protecting the weak and downtrodden. However, Max had asked him to do it, and when it came to Max he could never say no. He also knew that the main reason he was grumbling so much about this wasn’t the fact she had asked him to deliver a message, it was _who_ he had to deliver the message to.

He shook his head, sighed and knocked; only a little surprised when the door swung open. Of course Alec wouldn’t bother locking his door, _that_ would be much too normal.

Logan stepped a little way into the room. “Alec? You in here?” There was no answer so he moved further into the apartment and caught the sound of running water coming from behind what he assumed was the bathroom door. “Great!” he muttered. So much for getting this over with as quickly as possible.

Eyeing up the sofa for a moment, Logan decided it would be too rude to just sit down uninvited and instead leaned back against the kitchen counter as he waited for Alec to emerge. However after ten long minutes had passed Logan became convinced that Alec was taking his time on purpose. The guy had transgenic hearing, so he had to have known Logan was there.

Considering that he hadn’t been in the best of moods for this visit in the first place, he decided that enough was enough. Max could deliver her own damn message; no one could say he hadn’t tried. He pushed himself off the counter and headed back towards the door. Perhaps he could salvage the afternoon by reading through the files that had been delivered that morning.

“Leaving so soon?”

Logan stopped where he was and turned around. Alec was leaning in the spot Logan had just vacated, arms crossed and smirking in Logan’s direction. “And here I thought that maybe you were here to hang out...have a few drinks...style each other’s hair...”

Logan tried very hard to concentrate on the urge to smack that smirk right off Alec’s face; not the greatest urge in the world considering the fact that Alec could kill him without breaking a sweat, but it was a lot better than the other urge Logan was feeling at that moment.

Most of the time, he could blame his dislike of the X5 on the fact that Alec was just insufferable. He may not have been responsible for the retro-virus but he’d played his part in it, plus the guy had way too many shady dealings going on for Logan’s liking.

Just sometimes though, Logan was forced to admit that part of that dislike was the fact that Alec made him uncomfortable, that sometimes Logan felt kind of...well, _attracted_ to Alec and _that_ made him uncomfortable.

So he was concentrating on the urge to hit Alec, and not the one to stare at the sight he made; still wet from the shower, towel slung low on his waist showing off that toned body to perfection.

It disturbed him beacause he’d never had those kinds of feelings for another man before, he had no problem with guys who did, he just never had. So the logical part of Logan led him to think that maybe Manticore had done a bit more than just make their kids so very easy on the eye, they may have done something else –something with the pheromones maybe – to make them even more attractive and ultimately more distracting.

And that line of thought right there made him start to doubt if his feelings for Max were as real as he’d thought.

Of course he’d never been attracted to Zack, he mused, as his eyes followed a droplet of water running down Alec’s chest.

 _Dammit!_ Logan snapped his eyes back to Alec’s, catching a glimmer of something hidden there before Alec covered it with that smirk again.

Realising that he still hadn’t said anything, Logan cleared his throat. “As much as I would love to spend some quality time with you, Alec, some of us have actual work to do. Max just asked me to pass something along.”

Something else flickered across Alec’s face briefly before he replied dryly, “Of course. And when our lovely Maxxie says jump, you say how high, no matter how much ‘actual work’ you have to do.”

Logan gritted his teeth and tried to ignore how close that comment was to his own line of thinking earlier. “I wouldn’t expect _you_ to understand how a friendship works. You see, sometimes we do favours for each other, help each other out, for no other reason than they are our friend.” He raised an eyebrow at Alec and added. “You wouldn’t like it, there’s no money involved.”

Alec chuckled at that. “You’re probably right. It’s a shame though, Logan, buddy, because I’m sure I could be a _very_ good friend.”

Before Logan had a chance to wonder what the hell that meant, Alec moved away from the counter and Logan instantly got distracted by the sight of those muscles working under the skin. With Alec turned away from him, he allowed his eyes to run down the expanse of the younger man’s back, stopping suddenly with a frown.

“Is that...? That better not be my towel!”

Alec responded by throwing a cheeky smile at Logan over his shoulder.

“It is, isn’t it? How the hell did you even...?” Logan stopped and looked skyward with a sigh before answering his own question. “You broke into my apartment. For a towel?!”

Alec shrugged, “I needed a towel, and I remembered just how nice and fluffy yours were when we helped fish-boy.”

Logan shook his head in exasperation. “Jesus, Alec! If you insist on stealing everything you need, couldn’t you have gotten one from a hotel? I’m sure their towels are much fluffier than mine, if that’s what you wanted. Seriously, what is it with you X5s? You break into my apartment so often that it doesn’t even surprise me anymore, you eat all my food and now you’re stealing my bathroom items!”

Alec laughed again and gave Logan a winning smile. “It’s all part of our charm.”

Crossing his arms across his chest, Logan levelled a disapproving look at the X5. “I can think of another word for it. I want that back, you know.” He nodded towards the towel then took a step backwards as the item suddenly hit him in the face.

“Urgh! For crying out...”

Logan trailed off as he pulled the damp towel away and realised that Alec was still standing in front of him, now completely naked. His mouth was suddenly very dry as he met Alec’s knowing look, and forced himself to hold his ground. At least if he kept eye contact, he wouldn’t be able to let his gaze wander anywhere inappropriate.

“Put some clothes on, Alec.” Logan winced a little at how strained his voice sounded.

Alec cocked his head to one side, surveying Logan silently before giving a shrug and disappearing into another room.

Logan let out the breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding and willed himself to get some control over his libido because this was getting ridiculous.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you for such a prude, Logan.” Alec said as he headed, now fully dressed, towards the kitchen. Then added with a sly grin, “What am I saying? This is you, we’re talking about.”

Sniping at each other, _that_ was a more familiar ground that Logan could cope with. “It’s not prudish to want the person you’re talking with to be clothed. It’s called common courtesy, another thing that you seem to be unaccustomed with.”

He watched as Alec pulled a bottle of whiskey from one of the cupboards and poured some into two glasses, sliding one down towards the end of the counter. Logan walked over and downed the shot gratefully. He didn’t care that it was too early to be drinking, just knew that he needed it after the way the afternoon had been going.

Alec gave him that contemplative look again then hopped up to sit on the counter and knocked back his own drink. He waved the bottle at Logan who moved closer for a refill. Before Logan could comprehend what was happening, Alec hooked one of his legs around Logan’s and pulled him in until their faces were inches away from each other.

“What the hell are you doing?” Logan managed to splutter before Alec leaned forward and pressed their lips together.

Logan tried to pull back but Alec held him fast, arching up into him. Logan let out a moan at the contact and the struggle went out of him as he melted into the kiss.

As their tongues battled for dominance, Logan lifted one hand to tangle in Alec’s hair as Alec moved both his legs to loop around Logan’s waist, trying to get as close as he could and causing both men to groan. Logan’s head was spinning with sensation; he supposed that some part of him expected Alec to kiss like Max, but this was hard and rough, all teeth and the lingering taste of whiskey, neither of them willing to let the other take the lead.

As the spark between them got more heated, Logan’s other hand found its way under Alec’s t-shirt and ran lightly up and down his spine, causing Alec to arch up again, while Alec’s hands moved to Logan’s belt buckle.

A loud crash suddenly sounded from somewhere outside the window, it was enough to permeate the fog in Logan’s mind and he wrenched his lips from Alec’s, staring at him in wide eyed horror as the realisation of what they had been doing finally hit him. Alec gave Logan one final lust-filled look before dropping his legs from Logan’s waist and letting him go with a sigh of resignation.

Logan stumbled back to put some distance between them, almost tripping over the glass that he must have dropped at some point during his temporary leave of sanity. He rubbed his hand over his face, barely able to look at Alec. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what that...I have to go.” He muttered as he turned and rushed out of the apartment.

**

It wasn’t until Logan had gotten home that he realised he hadn’t actually told Alec Max’s message. He paged her and when she called, told her that he hadn’t had time to go to Alec’s after all. She’d been pissed but he didn’t care, he could hardly tell her the real reason. When she showed up at his apartment later the next day to apologise for getting angry on the phone, Logan felt the guilt weighing on him.

He tried to ignore it and act normal, but when Max began to tell him some story about how Alec’s stupid flirting had almost caused a fight at Crash the night before, Logan felt the guilt intensify. Except this time, he felt guilty because his first thought had been to defend Alec; point out that he had been out in the world for a significantly lower amount of time than Max and that he was doing the best he could under the circumstances.

This had been quickly followed by a rush of jealousy towards whomever Alec had been flirting with in Crash. Logan felt like he was going crazy, he should be happily joining in with the general eye-rolling over Alec’s behaviour but he just couldn’t do it.

Max obviously noticed Logan’s lack of enthusiasm so he feigned tiredness, blaming an _Eyes Only_ case he was working on and causing her to leave so that he could ‘get some rest’.

Only that was even worse. When he was on his own, flashes of that kiss came unbidden into his mind and the more he thought about it, the more he started to re-evaluate his feelings for Max.

Yes, he loved her but they couldn’t even touch each other and the more they hunted for a cure, the further away the possibility of finding one seemed to get. It had changed the whole dynamic of their relationship. She was drifting further away, be it because of her guilt over the virus or because she had so much else in her life now, watching out for all the Manticore escapees.

Whatever it was, Logan wasn’t as sure as he had once been that they could recapture what they had, even if they did find the cure. Maybe it was time for them both to move on. The thought of it made him feel sad and yet strangely free. Free to admit how he was actually beginning to feel about Alec. But was Alec even interested in Logan beyond a quick roll in the sack and a chance to get some twisted revenge on Max?  
   
Probably not.

**

A month later, Logan got home after a particularly frustrating meeting with one of the _Eyes Only_ informants. Dropping a stack of papers on his desk, he stalked into the kitchen only to be faced with a pile of very fluffy towels sitting on the counter. He grabbed the top one, unfolded it to see a small ‘Steinlitz Hotel’ logo in the corner and let out a chuckle.

“You were right, the hotel ones are fluffier.” Logan spun around to see Alec leaning casually in the doorway to his office. “I still prefer yours though.”

Logan gave a wry smile but didn’t say anything, waiting to see what Alec wanted.

“I haven’t seen you at Crash for a while. Max said she hasn’t seen much of you either.”

That was true; Logan had been deliberately distancing himself from Max, instead throwing all his attention into widening his informant net. It hadn’t been as difficult as he’d thought; in fact he got the impression that Max was actually a little relieved by it.

“Look, Logan.” Logan’s attention was brought back to Alec. “What happened, I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought...It wasn’t fair, her keeping you hanging on like that; hoping for a cure. Not when you could be with...”

Alec stopped and cleared his throat again, obviously uncomfortable. “You don’t have to avoid me, or avoid your friends in case I’m there. I’m not going to jump on you and I’m not going to tell Max what happened. I just...” He stopped again, then muttered, “I’m no good at this apology crap. Let’s just go back to how things were, okay?”

Logan watched Alec, genuinely fascinated by the sight of the X5 struggling with his words. “Can you?” Logan asked before he realised what he was doing.

Alec looked almost as surprised as Logan felt at the softly spoken question, but quickly covered it with his usual arrogant smile. “You’re not _that_ hot. Besides I have people queuing up for the chance to get a slice of Alec.” He gave a roguish wink, causing Logan to smile, despite himself.

“Well thanks. It’s always nice to hear how hot I’m not. Although, I do have to admit that that queue is more than justified.” Logan felt shock run through him again. What was he doing? He should just accept Alec’s apology, change the subject and then go back to angsting over the kiss and his feelings in private.

Alec raised one eyebrow as he surveyed the man standing in front of him and said with a small laugh, “That almost sounded like flirting, Logan.”

Logan opened his mouth to deny it, then realised that that was exactly what it had been. Months of denying his growing attraction to Alec, followed by weeks of reliving that amazing kiss, flooded Logan and he realised that he didn’t care if Alec was doing it just to use him. At that moment, he just wanted whatever Alec would give him.

He carefully met the other man’s gaze, “Only almost? I must be even rustier at this than I thought.”

Alec froze and stared at Logan in shock. As the seconds ticked by, Logan had to take a deep breath to steady his nerves and then started to doubt his decision. Maybe Alec had come over to apologise because _he_ regretted what had happened, not to make Logan feel better.

Then a blur of movement caught the corner of his eye and Logan suddenly found himself pinned against his kitchen counter. A brief thought about Alec’s apparent kitchen kink crossed Logan’s mind, before it was totally wiped away by the intense look Alec was giving him. He’d never been looked at with that depth of emotion before and he gave a small gasp as it finally hit home that it wasn’t just a quickie Alec was looking for.

There was so much desire and affection in those eyes, but also a hint of wariness; as if he expected Logan to stop this at any moment. This time Logan was the one to lean in, capturing Alec’s lips in a soft kiss, licking slowly into his mouth and taking his time to taste every part of it; determined to show Alec that there was no rush, he wasn’t going anywhere this time. Alec responded, winding himself around Logan and lazily kissing him back.

“I hope you appreciate the amount of flirting I had to do to get into that hotel,” Alec said when they finally broke apart. “Not to mention the fact that I stood soaking wet in my cold apartment just to let you ogle me.”  
   
Logan puffed out a laugh and pulled Alec back in for another kiss. _Still insufferable_ , he thought before his mind lost track of anything other than the lips against his.


End file.
